On September 25, 2008, the International Legal Resource Center (ILRC) co-hosted a program with the Section of International Law Asia Pacific Committee, and the ABA Center for Human Rights on “Justice and the Rule of Law: Part II – Pakistan and Beyond.”

This panel was the second part of a series during which Pakistani and American Bar Association (ABA) leadership stressed the importance of judicial independence. The first panel was held in the wake of the November 3, 2007 emergency order imposed in Pakistan by then President Pervez Musharraf.

The events in Pakistan since Fall 2007 sparked a response from the legal profession worldwide. In particular, images of Pakistani lawyers being arrested as they were peacefully protesting to uphold principles of the rule of law in their country, mobilized the ABA to respond. The ABA issued statements, organized a march in solidarity with Pakistani colleagues, and presented a petition to the government of Pakistan calling for the restoration of the Constitution, the reinstatement of deposed Supreme Court justices, and the release of lawyers and civil leaders who had been wrongfully jailed. In recognition of their tremendous efforts, the ABA gave the lawyers and judges of Pakistan the Rule of Law Initiative Award in August 2008.

An extraordinary chain of events followed: the end of military rule in Pakistan with Musharraf’s resignation, the installation of a democratic government and the restoration of judges.  The second panel, featuring Imran Khan, explored long-term concerns and possibilities:

• Will the lawyers' movement fix the judicial system?
• Will they be able to address the ailments that are hampering the process of the delivery of justice?
• Will they examine how judges are appointed, how cases are fixed, how much money is to be paid to the staff at every step, why abnormal delays take place, and whether the poor can afford to seek justice?
• Given that civil society estimates of the landholding scenario in Pakistan reveal that 0.24% of the landholding population controls the majority of the agricultural land, will the lawyers address the overbearing influence of the feudal families on the executive, judicial, and legislative apparatus that neglects the interests of the great majority (93%) of poor farmers?

Program Chairs:
Brigitte R. Gambini, Avocat and NY Licensed Legal Consultant, New York, NY
Mohammad A. Syed (“Mo”), King and Ballow, Nashville, TN

Introductory Remarks:
Aaron Schildhaus, Chair, Section of International Law, American Bar Association

Moderator:
Catherine M. Doll, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York, NY

Speakers:
Ms. Faryal Jooma, Lawyer and Partner at Jooma and Soomro, Karachi, Pakistan
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Lahore, Pakistan
Mr. Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Movement for Justice, Lahore, Pakistan (former international cricketer)
Professor Roy Prosterman, Founder and Chairman of the Rural Development Institute (RDI), Seattle, Washington

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